The Grey Fox

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
The Grey Fox (film)
)

The Grey Fox
United Artists Classics
Release dates
  • 24 July 1982 (1982-07-24) (
    Taormina
    )
  • 16 December 1982 (1982-12-16) (Canada)
  • 18 March 1983 (1983-03-18) (U.S.)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4.5 million
Box office$6 million

The Grey Fox is a 1982 Canadian biographical Western film directed by Phillip Borsos and written by John Hunter. It is based on the true story of Bill Miner, an American stagecoach robber who staged his first Canadian train robbery on 10 September 1904. The film stars Richard Farnsworth as Miner. The cast also features Jackie Burroughs, Ken Pogue, Wayne Robson, Gary Reineke and Timothy Webber.

Plot

Stagecoach robber Bill Miner is caught and sent to prison for 33 years. He is finally released in 1901. He wanders around, a man out of place in the new century, until he sees one of the first films,

feminist
and photographer Katherine Flynn. He considers settling down with her, but one last robbery proves to be his downfall. True to his nickname, the Grey Fox escapes from prison as the ending credits start.

Cast

Production

According to Farnsworth, the "picture company" was the only one ever allowed to film at

Pacific Great Eastern Railway, now run by Canadian National Railway, between Pemberton and Lillooet, British Columbia, and the Lake Whatcom Railway between Wickersham and Park, Washington.[citation needed] The capture sequence was shot a quarter of a mile from where Miner was actually caught. Miner's gun, "a .41 Bisley Colt", was obtained from a collector and used by Farnsworth in close-ups.[1]

The film was funded by selling 696 units for $5,000 each to investors, and it was edited in 1981 before a distributor was found. Phillip Borsos was paid $45,000 to direct the film.[2] The film was shot from 7 October to 28 November 1980, and had a budget of $3,480,000 (equivalent to $11,199,273 in 2021), but cost $4,500,000 (equivalent to $14,481,818 in 2021) to make.[3]

Release

The film was shown at the Taormina Film Fest in June 1982, and was released in Toronto on 16 December 1982.[4] It grossed over $6 million at the box office in its first year.[2]

Awards

The Grey Fox has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.[5]

At the 4th Genie Awards in 1983, The Grey Fox was nominated for thirteen awards and won seven:

  • Best Picture
  • Best Director (Borsos)
  • Best Foreign Actor (Farnsworth)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Burroughs)
  • Best Original Screenplay (Hunter)
  • Best Art Direction (Bill Brodie)
  • Best Musical Score (Michael Conway Baker)

Further recognition for Farnsworth included a

Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
.

It has also been listed in the

TIFF List of Canada's Top Ten Films of All Time
in 1984 and 1993.

Critical reaction

Roger Ebert praised the film as "a lovely adventure" and gave it 312 stars.[6] Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rare 100% fresh rating, based on twenty-nine reviews. The Critics Consensus reads: "The Grey Fox takes liberties with the real-life history that inspired it, but director Philip Borsos' aim is true -- as is Richard Farnsworth's work in the title role."[7]

Restoration and re-release

The film underwent a 4K restoration and was re-released to theatres In April 2020.[8] It also saw its first official release to DVD and Blu-Ray, which included a commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox, interview with producer Peter O'Brian, and a featurette about the restoration.[9]

References

  1. ^ . Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b Melnyk 2004, p. 123.
  3. ^ Turner 1987, p. 346-347.
  4. ^ Turner 1987, p. 347.
  5. ^ "Masterworks: The Grey Fox (1983)". avtrust.ca. 10 September 2023.
  6. ^ "The Grey Fox". rogerebert.suntimes.com. 1 January 1982. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  7. ^ "The Grey Fox (1983)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  8. ^ "Restored Classic Western The Grey Fox Gallops to the aid of Indie Theatres Nationwide". original-cin.ca. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  9. ^ "The Grey Fox (Special Edition) (Blu-Ray) (DVD)". kinolorber.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.

Works cited

External links